Art
by Kitarin
Summary: Certain things take experience... Ban, Ginji & 360


_Author's Note:_   
  
I've written several GB stories, and some of them make more sense when read in a certain order:   
  
Closer To Me  
Not Everyone  
Strawberry & Vanilla Swirled  
Sleep Talking  
Breakwater  
Of The Summer Sunshine  
Art  
Anytime  
Only a few are uploaded here, and the rest can be found at my webpage:  
www.kitarin.com   
  


* * *

  


Art   


_For Wen, because I can't refuse someone asking me to write cute Ban & Ginji _

Ginji folded his hands behind his head as they reached the city limits, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the wind ruffling his blond hair. It was warm and sunny, with hardly a cloud to mar the clear blue sky, and Ban had surprised him by suggesting they get out of the hot and sticky city for the afternoon. He was very nearly asleep, lulled by the speed and the wind, when the car slowed down and pulled to a gentle stop at the side of the road. Opening his eyes, Ginji looked around. He could see the ocean in the distance, but ahead of them was still several miles of two lane road, certainly not their usual highway path to said beaches. "Ban-chan?" Ginji questioned as his friend got out of the car and gestured for him to do the same. 

Ban ran his hand over the hood of the car quite lovingly, and stopped when he reached the headlights, looking back at Ginji as he leaned against the passenger door. "This is a difficult decision..." he began, and Ginji furrowed his brow, obviously confused. 

"Going to the beach? I thought it was a great idea..." 

"No," Ban cut him out with a wave of his hand and then gave his beloved car another glance, almost mournful in apprehension. "I'm going to teach you to drive." 

Now Ginji was utterly baffled and he threw his hands up in protest. "I know how to drive, Ban-chan! Have you lost your mind?" 

Ban smiled slightly and shook his head. "You know how to drive those..._fake_...cars. The kind where you put it in gear and slam the gas." He ran a hand over the hood again as he stepped closer to Ginji, his voice growing soft and serious. "This... this isn't just science..._this_... is _art_." 

"Art..." Ginji mumbled, biting his lip. He wanted to laugh, truly, but decided it might be wiser to humor his friend. "Are you sure about this?" 

"No." Ban gestured for Ginji to get into the driver's side as he circled around the back of the car himself. "I'm entirely believing I may regret this five minutes from now... but no matter how I feel, we shouldn't be riding around in a car that you don't know how to drive." 

Nodding, Ginji slid into the driver's seat, his heart fluttering in a mix of excitement and anxiety. He had no doubt that Ban would kill him if anything happened to the precious car, and yet... he was going to teach him to drive it. Truly, Ginji thought, Ban-chan was simply awesome. He glanced up as Ban got into the car and held out the keys, but waved them away, placing one finger over the keyhole with a grin. As the engine roared to life, Ban winced and Ginji blushed sheepishly. "Eh... should I not do that?" 

"I'd rather if you didn't." There was silence for a moment and then Ban reached over to pull his seatbelt on and Ginji did the same. "Most things run the same way as you're used to," Ban started. "It's just the whole clutch and changing of the gears. You need to work two pedals at once." 

"Doesn't that require a lot of... coordination?" 

"That's what I worry about with you sitting in that seat." 

"Don't be so mean, Ban-chan," Ginji pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "This was your idea, after all." 

"Don't remind me..." he said and then leaned closer to Ginji, pointing. "This is where you switch the gears... 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, reverse..." He pointed below the steering wheel. "You use the clutch every time you change gears." 

"Okay," Ginji nodded, placing both hands on the steering wheel. 

"Now before you hit the brake and start to move, use your other foot to push the clutch all the way down." 

"This isn't so bad," Ginji smiled as he followed the instructions. 

"Now the hardest part, which is the same problem you get stopped at traffic lights, is that you have to let the clutch up very slowly _as_ you're hitting the gas. There's a certain...feel... to it that you can really only learn from experience." 

"Right, right...it's just like...er...uh... nevermind." 

Ban looked up at meet Ginji's warm brown eyes as his friend blushed, and smirked. "Yes, exactly." 

"Heh heh..." 

"So, give it a try." Ban leaned back in his seat as Ginji mumbled to himself. 

"Clutch in, car in gear...now..." Ginji hit the gas quickly, letting the clutch go, and the car lurched forward violently, immediately sputtering and stalling out. 

"That would be too fast," Ban muttered, reaching a hand to replace the sunglasses that had flown off his face. 

"Sorry, Ban-chan..." Ginji murmured, and this time accepted the keys as Ban proffered them. "I'll try it slower this time." Again, he went through the motions, but overcompensating, he let it out as slowly as he could manage. The car started to skip-hop forward in short little bursts, punctuated by a wheezing sound from the engine, and Ban grimaced. 

"M-making....me....s...sea...sick...." Ban managed to get out between all the lurching. "Giiii-ve it...more...gaa-aaa-aaa-sss!" 

Ginji complied and suddenly the car was moving forward at a very slow albeit steady rate. "I did it!" Ginji exclaimed, immediately trying to accelerate. 

"Ginji!" Ban exclaimed as the car lurched forward again, the engine grinding loudly. "Next gear!" 

The clutch all but forgotten, Ginji tried to switch gears, and a choking rattle of metal signified the car stalling out yet again. "Sorry..." 

Ban sighed, leaning his head back to look up at the sky through the sun roof, sending up silent apologies to his dear ladybug. "_Every_ gear switch," Ban mumbled. "Try again." 

Ginji said nothing this time, only prayed he would get it right. After another few lurches the car was moving again, and repeat process moved it into second gear so that they were traveling at an almost moderate pace down the two lane road. Ban breathed a sigh of relief and nudged Ginji. "Hmm?" 

"Third, and then you can probably stay there awhile." 

Ginji nodded, and after a moment of silence, questioned. "And...Ban-chan... how do I make it stop?" 

"It's a bit easier thankfully - clutch again as you hit the break and then flip it all the way back to first - in fact, why don't you give it a try now." 

The car came to a stop with only a few more jolts and Ginji took his hands off the wheel, waiting to be yelled at for whatever damage he'd probably done to Ban's car. 

"Ginji..." Ban said softly as he lit the cigarette he'd just placed in his mouth. Ginji looked up worriedly, but saw that his friend was smiling. "Not bad." Ban moved to get out of the car, and Ginji followed so that they could exchange seats again. "Maybe next time we can talk about reverse." 

Folding his hands behind his head again, Ginji marveled at how quickly and smoothly Ban moved the car from stopped to sailing down the road, headed back to the highway. He was happy to melt back into the wind again as their favorite beach came rising up to greet them. 

Ban glanced over at Ginji's somewhat lost expression, worried he might have been a little harsh. He reached over a hand to touch Ginji's cheek lightly as they came to a stop, the salty tang already washing over them. "Ginji...you okay?" 

"You know I'm not much for art," Ginji admitted with a small smile, and Ban laughed loudly. 


End file.
